The present invention relates generally to wheeled carts as used in stores and the like for carrying items, and is particularly concerned with a stocking cart as used by store personnel in re-stocking shelves.
There are many different types of wheeled carts which are used for carrying items from one place to another, including the types of cart normally used in various types of stores, as well as carts or dollies used in industrial applications for moving materials, and luggage carts. Most such carts have a wheeled base, which may or may not have a platform for supporting items, and a handle projecting upwardly from the rear end of the base. Shopping carts used in grocery stores and the like to transport a number of relatively small items generally have a basket spaced above the wheeled base. Other, larger carts are used to transport larger items, either in stores, warehouses, or elsewhere, such as building or construction materials, electronics or other equipment, furniture, domestic appliances or the like. These include platform or flat bed carts which have a base comprising a generally flat platform for supporting goods, and lumber carts as used in hardware or construction material stores.
Some types of carts, particularly shopping carts, are designed to nest together in lines for storage and transportation purposes. Others, such as lumber carts and flat bed carts, often are not nestable and therefore take up a considerable amount of storage space when not in use. Some nesting arrangements are relatively complex, including hinged rear walls or bases which must pivot upwardly or inwardly in order to permit nesting. This has the disadvantage that any damage to the pivoting arrangement or adjacent areas of a cart may result in jamming, such that two carts can no longer be readily separated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,029 of Ondrasik describes a nestable flat bed cart in which the base platform or deck has a rear, hinged portion which can lift up in order to allow the forward end of the platform of another cart to be nested under it. This does conserve some space, but it does require the base platform to include moving parts, and does not allow the forward end of a rear cart to be nested fully up to the forward end of the cart in front.
Although a conventional flat bed cart can carry relatively large items on the base platform, its carrying capacity is limited and there is no way of preventing smaller items from moving around on the platform. The platform is also quite low, requiring personnel using the carts to stock shelves to bend down repeatedly in order to retrieve items from boxes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wheeled cart for transporting items in stores, warehouses, and the like.
According to the present invention, a wheeled cart is provided, which comprises a generally flat platform having a front end, a rear end, opposite sides, a plurality of wheels supporting the platform above the ground, an upwardly extending handle frame extending upwardly from the rear end of the cart, the platform having spaced, upwardly facing supports for releasably mounting accessories on the platform to extend upwardly from the platform to support items on the platform or raised above the platform, the accessories comprising at least one horizontal support panel for supporting items at a location spaced above the platform and at least one vertical support frame for holding items at predetermined locations on the platform.
The handle frame may have a horizontal, box supporting portion at its upper end in order to support a box while store personnel remove items from the box in order to stock a shelf. The platform has a first pair of upwardly facing supports at a location spaced forwardly from the handle frame, for holding a vertical support frame parallel to and spaced a short distance from the handle frame in order to define a slot for holding empty boxes which have been folded flat. This enables an individual stocking store shelves to place a plurality of full boxes on the platform in front of the vertical support frame, and to successively position one box in turn on the horizontal box supporting portion of the handle frame while emptying the box. When the box is empty, it can be folded flat and placed in the slot between the handle frame and vertical support frame. This will make stocking of shelves much easier and more convenient. Thus, the cart of this invention may be readily converted from a platform cart to a stocking cart, and vice versa.
The platform may have another pair of upwardly facing supports at its forward end, for releasably holding another vertical support frame at the forward end of the platform. This will help to prevent items from falling off the platform. At the same time, the forward vertical support frame and the handle frame have cross bars at approximately the same height, and form a support for an upper support platform which has opposite ends releasably engaging the vertical support frame and handle frame to provide an upper support platform of similar dimensions to the base platform. This provides a convenient surface for store personnel to cut, package or otherwise prepare produce for sale. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the base platform is provided with further supports adjacent the handle frame, and at least one accessory is provided for engaging the further supports. This accessory comprises a raised platform which is shorter than the length of the base platform and which has support legs which engage in the further supports in the base platform. Other accessories which may be provided include a basket which may be designed to hang from the box supporting portion of the handle frame, in order to carry small items.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the opposite sides of the platform taper inwardly from the rear to the front end of the cart, and the platform has a downwardly facing recessed area extending from the rear end to the front end, and the platform being fixed and having no parts which move relative to the handle frame, whereby the front end of the platform of a second identical cart can be nested under the platform of the first-mentioned cart and into the downwardly facing, recessed area such that the platform of the second cart is positioned beneath the platform of the first-mentioned cart.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more rotatable members such as casters, wheels, rollers, bearings, or the like may be provided either at the rear end or the front end of the platform, for assisting with nesting of the carts. If provided at the rear end of the platform, the rotating member or members are designed to engage the front end of a second cart as it is pushed into the first cart from behind, and then roll smoothly over the flat upper surface of the platform of the second cart as it is pushed under the platform of the cart in front. It will be understood that the rear wheels of the forward cart will be lifted from the ground as the rear cart platform is pushed underneath the front cart platform. This also helps to reduce wear on the rear wheels as a line of nested carts are moved between a parking lot and the store. In the alternative arrangement, where one or more rotating members are provided at the front end of the platform, these will engage the smooth, flat undersurface of the platform of the front cart as a second cart platform is pushed underneath. In either case, the rotating member or members will assist in the smooth nesting of the platform of one cart under the platform of the cart in front.
The convertible, nestable stocking cart of this invention is easily convertible for a number of different uses and operations, simply by adding or removing various accessories on the base platform. It is provided with a box stand to hold boxes at a convenient height while stocking shelves, as well as an accessory to define a slot or compartment for holding emptied boxes. Other accessories may be used to add a raised short or long platform spaced above the base platform, for additional storage space.